Bath tub over-flows



Dec. 7, 1965 w. M. EMERY 3,221,347

BATH TUB OVER-FLOWS Filed Got. it 1964 INVENTOR United States Patent 3,221,347 BATH TUB OVER-FLOWS William M. Emery, 44 Pittsford Way, New Providence, NJ. Filed Oct. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 402,251 2 Claims. (Cl. 4-206) My present invention refers to a suction held cap made to adjust the maximum depth and/ or the over-flow height of the water in a bath tub by indexing a secondary overflow opening about the present conventional plumbing fixture.

To attain great-er compactness modern bath tubes are being made more shallow while the distance from the top of the tub to the starting point of the over-flow, which was originally set for children and careless bathers, has rernained the same. The net result is for those who require hydrotherapy or just enjoy soaking, the water depth is scarcely enough to cover the body. This lessening of comfort while soaking results in more people using shower baths in place of tub bathing. The benefits of hydrotherapy and the relaxing comforts of soaking under these conditions are materially increased as the water depth is raised up to say four more inches and this can be enjoyed by a careful bather without danger of splashing over especially since with my device the over-flow is retained and the maximum water height is adjustably limited and predetermined by the bather. This extra water depth is especially enjoyed by larger persons which includes most men because their bodies can be water covered from their shoulders down when the water level is raised 3 or 4 inches.

Accordingly, the objects attained successfully by my invention include providing means to raise the height of the over-flow in a conventional bath tub thereby increasing the bathing depth of the water while retaining the precautionary advantages of an over-flow device.

Another object is to index or rotate an over-flow opening about the substantially horizontal axis of a conventional plumbing over-flow fixture to position the opening optionally at the bottom, side or top of the fixture thereby optionally raising the over-flow from no increase up to four inches or less as the user may at the moment desire.

Another object is to provide such a device in a simple inexpensive detachable form suitable for use with most conventional fixtures already installed.

Other objects and their accomplishment will be obvious from the following specification and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view from the inside or underside of one embodiment of my invention in the form of a separable plastic suction cap closure.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1 showing the closure cap positioned over a conventional over-flow and drain control fixture.

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 a molded plastic cup-like cap including a con-centric cup 11 of sufficient depth to go over and enclose a conventional over-flow tub fixture 12 which conventional fixture includes a handle 13 which turns to control the drain in the bottom of a conventional bath tub and a fixed over-flow opening or orifice 14 in the lower part of the fixture 12. concentrically positioned around cup 11 is an outwardly extending thin flexible rim 16 provided with a series of flexible vacuum or suction cups 15 which when wet and depressed will initially hold cap 10 against a vertical wall of tub 9 at least until the thin flexible outer and peripheral edge of rim 16 becomes sealed in contact with the surface of the tub 9 as 3,221,347 Patented Dec. 7, 1965 shown in FIG. 3 by being pressed thereagainst by water within the tub to the extent that rim 16 is below the Water which produces a pressure differential between the outside and inside cup-like cap 10.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, suction cups 15 in rim 16 are individually substantially hemispherical in shape and are positioned with closely adjacent areas acting as individual seals or lip portions 22 substantially in and practically integral with the substantialy vertical plane of the surface of the rim which contacts the side wall of tub 9. The hemispherical or rounded tops, apexes or crests 23 of the suction cups 15 project away from the side of the rim opposite to the side in the plane of its said contacting surface and in an exposed direction so the user can easily depress tops 23 when said contacting surface is against tub 2. Depressing tops 23 forces air from the cups which results in a partial vacuum within the suction cups 15 when said cups try to return to their original shape and their lips 22 seal themselves against the surface of tub 9.

As clearly shown in FIG. 1 the cup-like cap 10 including rim 16 and the series of suction cups 15 are arranged substantially concentrically about a common axis which is obviously located at the juncture of lines 22 and 3-3 and also the center of all large circles shown in FIG. 1 such as 16. The lateral or cylindrical wall 11a of the cup 11' may be substantially parallel with said axis, the closed end or end wall of cup 11 is substantially normal to said axis and likewise the outward projecting rim 16 and the common plane of the suction cups 15 and their lips 22 are also substantially normal to said axis.

In the wall 11a of cap 10 is an over-flow port or opening 17 spaced away from said common axis.

In use, it is obvious that cap 10 can be afiixed over fixture 12 with opening 17 adjacent to opening 14. When so aflixed the over-flow level will be at the lowest point and the water level will be unchanged by the cap 10. However, if the cap 10 is applied in an indexed or a position rotated or turned therefrom the maximum water level 18 will be raisedfor example if indexed as shown in FIG. 2 the maximum water level 18 will be raised say two inches or if indexed 180 as shown in FIG. 3, then the water level will be raised further such as 4 inches. For purposes of exposition FIG. 2 may be considered drawn substantially to the probable size of a workable embodiment.

Whether the water is thus raised after the bather is in the tub or before entering the tub, then danger of overflowing the tub is still avoided because the over-flow means is retained but at a higher level. A rather surprising discovery is that whereas the vacuum cups may resist removal of cap 10 especially when under water, they do allow with much less eflort the indexing, turning or sliding of the cap 10 to change the overflow level.

According to the whim of the bather, my over-flow regulating cap may be attached as soon as the drain is closed and before any water is run into the tub or after the tub is partially filled. In either case, the successful function of the device is dependent on the initial holding power of the suction cups resisting gravity because of the horizontal position of cap 10 particularly as the thin edge of trim 16 has no initial holding power until it is at least partially immersed. On the other hand, the suction cups will not seal cup-like cap 10 by themselves because water is likely to leak through the space between the individual suction cups and so complete sealing does not occur until rim 16 is at least partially immersed. Therefore, in my device there is sequential and cooperative action between holding function of the initial suction cup and the later sealing function of rim 16, and because of the nearness of the overflow to the top curvature of many conventional bath tubs it is possible that either the upper suction cups or the upper part of rim 16 will have neither holding or scaling properties. In this case all the holding and sealing will be done by the lower cups and the lower part of the rim respectively. For this reason a continuous annular suction means is not practical, whereas a series of separated suction means is effective.

Accordingly I claim:

1. An over-flow control device to adjustably raise the water level in a conventional tub which has an overflow in one of its upright walls, said control device being made substantially in one piece, comprising a substantially cylindrical cup-shape member formed'concentrically about a substantially horizontal axis, said cupshape member having a round end Wall and a circumferential Wall defining a cavity therein adapted to encompass said over-flow, a concentric circular rim extending outward from the edge of said concentric cupshape member substantially normal to said axis, a port in said circumferential wall, suction means formed integrally in said rim having its lips in the tub contacting side of said rim and its rounded top' freely accessible and protruding from the other side, and a thin substantially circumferential sealing edge for said rim extending normal to said axis and beyond said suction means, said sealing edge in cooperation with said suction means completing the seal of said total device against said upright tub wall when Water in said tub presses thereagainst, said port being selectively indexed about said axis to determine the' over-floW level of said conventional tub.

2. An over-flow control device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the suction means comprises a ring of cups.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 854,522 5/1907 Newman 137--577 1,262,545 4/1918 Mueller 4--20 1,531,322 3/1925 Waechter 4-206 1,620,164 3/1927 Milliff et a1. 137577 X 1,931,568 10/1933 Brotz 4204 2,394,094 2/1946 Nichol 4206 3,076,976 2/1963 Bogar 4--l80 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD V. BENHAM, Examiner.

H. J. GROSS, Assistant Examiner, 

1. AN OVER-FLOW CONTROL DEVICE TO ADJUSTABLY RAISE THE WATER LEVEL IN A COVENTIONAL TUB WHICH HAS AN OVERFLOW IN ONE OF ITS UPRIGHT WALLS, SAID CONTROL DEVICE BEING MADE SUBSTANTIALLY IN ONE PIECE, COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL CUP-SHAPE MEMBER FORMED CONCENTRICALLY ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS, SAID CUPSHAPE MEMBER HAVING A ROUND END WALL AND A CIRCUMFERENTIAL WALL DEFINING A CAVITY THEREIN ADAPTED TO ENCOMPASS SAID OVER-FLOW, A CONCENTRIC CIRCULAR RIM EXTENDING OUTWARD FROM THE EDGE OF SAID CONCENTRIC CUPSHAPE MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID AXIS, A PORT IN SAID CIRCUMFERENTIAL WALL, SUCTION MEANS FORMED INTEGRALLY IN SAID RIM HAVING ITS LIPS IN THE TUB CONTACTING SIDE OF SAID RIM AND ITS ROUNDED TOP FREELY ACCESSIBLE AND PROTRUDING FROM THE OTHER SIDE, AND A THIN SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCUMFERENTIAL SEALING EDGE FOR SAID RIM EXTENDING NORMAL TO SAID AXIS AND BEYOND SAID SUCTION MEANS, SAID SEALING EDGE IN COOPERATION WITH SAID SUCTION MEANS COMPLETING THE SEAL OF SAID TOTAL DEVICE AGAINST SAID UPRIGHT TUB WALL WHEN WATER IN SAID TUB PRESSES THEREAGAINST, SAID PORT BEING SELECTIVELY INDEXED ABOUT SAID AXIS TO DETERMINE THE OVER-FLOW LEVEL OF SAID CONVENTIONAL TUB. 